Industrial vehicles by design may be used for a wide range of uses, duty cycles, and applications. In some operating conditions, industrial vehicles may be infrequently used to transport materials only when needed, e.g., in response to the occasional received shipment of goods. In other types of operating conditions, industrial vehicles may be used nearly around the clock in multiple shifts, with the only substantial down-time occurring during routine or required maintenance.
Operators of pallet trucks and other types of industrial vehicles are many times paid on incentive, such that any feature that will simplify the operation of the truck or provide functionality that increases productivity may benefit not only the operators but also the associated businesses.
Control handles for walk behind pallet trucks have been ergonomically optimized to facilitate an operator's control of the pallet truck and to reduce operator fatigue. Operators commonly operate a pallet truck having a typical control handle to lift a pallet by maneuvering the forks of the pallet truck into position underneath or within the pallet. A lift actuator is then engaged to lift the pallet off the ground, commonly an initial small distance. The pallet truck operator checks to ensure there is no on-coming traffic or other obstacles that could be hit by moving the pallet and pallet truck. The lift actuator is again engaged to fully raise the pallet. After lifting, the operator engages a traction actuator to begin moving the pallet truck and pallet.
In certain types of work environments or applications, the operator may manually operate the vehicle in a number of sequential steps, as described above in the example lift and move sequence, as well as other operations. However, in some work environments a sequential series of steps may be viewed as requiring additional time and effort to accomplish a particular task, thereby reducing productivity.
Known load handling systems may consist of automated operations which may include removing goods from shelves when an order has been placed. For example, an automated load handling vehicle may be programmed to transport the goods through a warehouse and thereby reduce the amount of time that a human operator would otherwise need to operate the vehicle. While automated load handling systems continue to improve in performance and capabilities, there nevertheless remain a substantial number of operations and/or operating conditions in which a human operator or worker may more efficiently perform the related tasks.
Other than operational settings or programming which may be configured prior to operation of the automated vehicle, known automated load handling vehicles may have limited capability to interact with human operators. Accordingly, this limited ability to interact or communicate may result in an inefficient transition between operations that may be performed automatically to those operations that may be more efficiently performed manually by an operator.
Known industrial vehicles are typically equipped with a horn that the operator may press to communicate with other operators and pedestrians in a work environment which may include a relatively high ambient noise. Some vehicles may also include a back-up alert or operating lights to assist in communicating the presence and/or intention of the vehicle. However, the different types of work environments and operating conditions in which the vehicle operates may affect the effectiveness of known audible and visual systems to alert other vehicles or pedestrians.
This application addresses these and other problems.